Post-Weinstein, wearing this popular red carpet brand might be social suicide
Like her estranged husband Harvey Weinstein, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman was an “elephant not in the room” at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.
The couple used to be mainstays at the award show — Harvey for his films and Georgina for her designs. The Marchesa co-founder was often well represented at star-studded events, with plenty of A-listers walking the red carpet in her brand’s gauzy designs. But this year, no one dared to don the brand’s dresses.
The new movement Time’s Up, championed by women including Shonda Rhimes and Reese Witherspoon, stole the show Jan. 7, as almost everyone in attendance wore black in protest of the gender inequality and sexual harassment that goes on in many industries, entertainment included.
And the news of Weinstein’s sexual misconduct is the straw that broke the camel’s back, triggering a wave of celebrities and others sharing their stories involving the powerful producer. Along with Weinstein, some of the other men in the industry accused of sexual harassment or assault, such as Kevin Spacey and Brett Ratner, did not show their faces this year.
Unfortunately, it seems that Weinstein’s estranged wife is also being punished. It’s hard to say for sure whether or not Marchesa was worn on the Golden Globes red carpet because correspondents tended to ask stars why they were wearing black, instead of the usual, “Who are you wearing?” But we’ve combed through the looks and haven’t spotted one Marchesa design yet. Yahoo Lifestyle contacted the brand for confirmation but has not received a response.
At last year’s Oscars, Marchesa dressed Olivia Culpo in a one-of-a-kind silver cascading fringed gown to raise awareness of the global water crisis. At this year’s Golden Globes, designers who were represented on the red carpet included Marc Jacobs worn by Tracee Ellis Ross, Gucci donned by Dakota Johnson, and equality champion Christian Siriano on Debra Messing.
Marchesa made its red carpet debut back in 2004, when the label was worn by Renée Zellweger. The actress, who had recently won an Oscar for her performance in Cold Mountain — a Weinstein-backed film — wore an embellished red bandeau dress for the premiere of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Part of the backlash against Marchesa may be because Weinstein allegedly pressured some of his leading actresses — including Felicity Huffman and Sienna Miller — to wear the designer on the red carpet.
But the label won’t be in the shadows for very long. Marchesa is scheduled to show at New York Fashion Week, which will no doubt garner some runway buzz.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Why asking ‘Who are you wearing?’ on the read carpet is still relevant — even in light of Time’s Up
Harvey Weinstein accuser Heather Graham is making a movie about sexism in Hollywood
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